The Know Daily - Tuesday 19 March 2024

_{Read in 5m 19s ∙ Listening to Her’s ∙}

A UK-based campaign ‘I am not a typo’ is calling on tech giants such as Microsoft to update their name dictionaries and fix auto-correct so that “all first names are treated equally by our technology”. The group found that 41% of baby names in England and Wales in 2021 were flagged by Microsoft as “typos”, prompting them to launch a billboard campaign 👇 in response.

🚁 Call a cab

The first flying taxi could take to UK skies as early as 2026, under new government plans announced on Monday.

Hold up - flying taxis?!
That’s right. The proposals are part of the Department for Transport’s Future of Flight action plan, which was developed in partnership with the aerospace industry.

According to BBC News, while there are a number of different models, most flying taxis “look like a futuristic helicopter” and carry about five people. And while the first flying taxis to take to the skies would be piloted, driverless models could become a reality by 2030, according to the plan. 

Just how achievable is that target?
It remains to be seen. Flying taxis are already undergoing the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) authorisation process, noted The Independent. But as BBC News pointed out, hurdles such as “infrastructure and public acceptance” need to be overcome before flying taxis are a regular feature in UK skies.

Craig Roberts, head of drones at consultancy firm PwC, told the BBC that the 2026 target was “challenging, but possible”. He said that flying taxis would likely start off as a replacement for helicopters, before going more mainstream. 

Anything else I should know?
While flying taxis are by far the most eye-catching measure in the plan, it is full of other proposals aimed at expanding drone technology in the UK.

The Department for Transport also outlined plans to allow drones to fly beyond visual line of sight - meaning the person controlling the drone cannot see it in the air - and predicts the regular use of unmanned drones by 2027 to transport medical supplies, deliver post in rural areas and track criminals on the run.  

Last year, New York City mayor Eric Adams unveiled a similar plan to use electric air taxis by 2026 to fly people to and from the city’s airports on “quiet, emissions-free journeys”.